the best gluten-free brownies

I know it’s a bit presumptuous to call these “THE BEST GLUTEN-FREE BROWNIES,” but to be honest, they’re the best I’ve tasted, and they also happen to be a gluten-free version of my favorite brownie ever, so you might say that I’m a bit biased, but I’m a bit of brownie and chocolate cake addict, so I happen to know a thing or two about chocolate desserts, and I know tasty brownie when I try one. If you like fudgey, chocolaty and rich brownies, then you’re going to LOVE these!

We just finished up a week of gluten-free and grain-free baking at school, and some of the recipes were super tasty and full of flavor, but there were some that were dry and flavorless, so I came home from school last week craving a real and fudgey dessert. I baked up my favorite batch of brownies and posted this below picture on my Instagram and Facebook page.A few readers and friends saw the picture and asked if I had a good gluten-free brownie recipe. I said to myself, “hmmmm, let me see if I can apply what I’ve learned this past week at school and try and make my favorite brownies gluten-free!” I then ran to the store, picked up some arrowroot starch and made up a fresh batch of gluten-free brownies! I have to tell you that they baked up just the same and looked and tasted identical to my other non-gluten-free batch. I even did a blind taste comparison with Zoe, Eli and a few of their friends, and you know what, no one could tell a difference between the two. These brownies are just as dark, chocolaty, fudgey, rich, moist as my non-gluten-free ones.

These gluten-free brownies are literally a chocolate lovers dream. Be forewarned, these are not your standard cake-like brownie, these are more fudge-like in consistency, but fudge-like in a good way, like a mouthwatering lick your fingers and plate sort of way. You may even need a nice tall glass of milk to wash these bad boys down!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the inside of an 8-inch (I used my 8-inch glass baking dish) or 9-inch square baking pan with 2 lengths of parchment paper, positioning the sheets perpendicular to each other and allowing the excess to extend beyond the edges of the pan. Then lightly butter the foil or parchment paper. I always butter the bottom piece of parchment, so that the top piece sticks to it.Measure out and chop the chocolate. I love using Ghirardelli 60% bittersweet bars because they’re each 4oz (8oz total), so I don’t have to measure anything. These bars are also thin enough to break apart with my hand, so I don’t have to actually chop them up with a knife. I just break them apart into little pieces right over the heatproof bowl that I’m going to melt the butter and chocolate in (I do this before I set the bowl over the simmering water). It actually saves me having to clean up a knife and cutting board.

If you don’t have thin chocolate bars like these, then chop up your chocolate using a serrated knife.Tip: I always place some parchment paper on top of my cutting board when chopping up chocolate as it helps make clean up easier and you can always just lift and pour those small pieces of chocolate into your pan. It’s easiest to chop chocolate with a serrated knife.

Place chopped chocolate and butter into a heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water, (make sure that the bowl doesn’t touch the water) and melt the butter and chocolate together, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until melted and smooth.

Immediately remove the chocolate from the heat and pour the chocolate mixture into a large bowl (unless the bowl you’re using to melt the chocolate in is large). Make sure you use a spatula here, so you can get all the chocolate goodness into the bowl.

Add the 3/4 cup sugar and the 1 teaspoon vanilla to the melted chocolate and mix until combined.

Note: I used coconut sugar, and it’s brown in color, not white like normal sugar.Using a whisk, add in the eggs 1 at a time until combined.

In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon unsweetened chocolate and 3 tablespoons arrowroot starch until well combined. Add the mixture to the brownie batter.

Whisk the batter energetically for 1 minute until the batter loses it graininess, becomes smooth and glossy, and pulls away a bit from the sides of the bowl.Note: This is a very important step!! Make sure that your stir vigorously for 1 full minute or a bit more. I suggest timing yourself. By doing this step you will end up with a batter that’s rich, thick, satiny smooth, and glossy, and the brownies as a result will be rich and fudge-like.

Using a spatula, gently fold in your chocolate chips. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan using a spatula to make it even. You can even top it with some coarse sea salt. Don’t go too crazy on the sea salt, I topped a batch with a bit too much and they were just a tad salty!Bake until the center feels almost set and the edges are a bit firm, about 30-35 minutes. Do not over bake. In my oven, my brownies are done around 32-33 minutes.Note: Ovens vary in temperature and baking times, so get to know your oven and know how long it takes to bake things. If your oven tends to cook things faster, then check it before 30 minutes etc.

The first time I baked my non-gluten-free brownies, I honestly thought they were underdone, but that is the way they’re supposed to be. They’re truly more of a fudge-like brownie than cake-like one. They will also firm up as they sit and cool.

Let the brownies cool completely in the pan (about an hour or so) before lifting the parchment paper and the block of brownies out of the pan.

Storage: Wrap the brownies up tightly in the parchment paper and then with a layer of tin foil, or store them in a sealed container. It’s best to cut the brownies right before serving them, as they stay fresher that way.

See how rich and gooey they are?

Please share this recipe if you know someone who has a gluten intolerance! If you make these, please let me know what you think!

I hope you adore them as much as we do!

If you’re looking for an amazing kid-approved gluten-free, paleo, chocolate chip cookie, then you have to try these gluten-free cookie bites. These cookie bites are made with100% whole ingredients and the two main ingredients are dates and walnuts. They’re dairy-free, butter and oil-free, grain-free and gluten-free, but have an amazing buttery taste and texture. They’re also totally kid approved and tested! These cookies, as well as my guilt-free chocolate chip cookie bites are the perfect segway from your traditional refined sugar chocolate chip cookie to a healthier unrefined sugar, whole-food chocolate chip cookie.

2 large (or extra large eggs), at room temperature – FYI, I always use extra large eggs

1 tablespoon unsweetened natural cocoa powder

3 tablespoons arrowroot starch/flour

1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Optional – coarse sea salt for topping

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the inside of an 8-inch (I used my 8-inch glass baking dish) or 9-inch square baking pan with 2 lengths of parchment paper, positioning the sheets perpendicular to each other and allowing the excess to extend beyond the edges of the pan. Then lightly butter the foil or parchment paper. I always butter the bottom piece of parchment, so that the top piece sticks to it.

Measure out and chop the chocolate. I love using Ghirardelli 60% bittersweet bars because they're each 4oz (8oz total), so I don't have to measure anything. These bars are also thin enough to break apart with my hand, so I don’t have to actually chop them up with a knife. I just break them apart into little pieces right over the heatproof bowl that I’m going to melt the butter and chocolate in (I do this before I set the bowl over the simmering water). It actually saves me having to clean up a knife and cutting board. If you don’t have thin chocolate bars like these, then chop up your chocolate using a serrated knife. Tip: I always place some parchment paper on top of my cutting board when chopping up chocolate as it helps make clean up easier and you can always just lift and pour those small pieces of chocolate into your pan. It’s easiest to chop chocolate with a serrated knife.

Place chopped chocolate and butter into a heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water, (make sure that the bowl doesn’t touch the water) and melt the butter and chocolate together, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until melted and smooth.

Immediately remove the chocolate from the heat and pour the chocolate mixture into a large bowl (unless the bowl you’re using to melt the chocolate in is large). Make sure you use a spatula here, so you can get all the chocolate goodness into the bowl.

Add the ¾ cup sugar and the 1 teaspoon vanilla to the melted chocolate and mix until combined.

Using a whisk, add in the eggs 1 at a time until combined.

In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon unsweetened chocolate and 3 tablespoons arrowroot starch until well combined. Add the mixture to the brownie batter.

Whisk the brownie batter energetically for 1 minute until the batter loses it graininess, becomes smooth and glossy, and pulls away a bit from the sides of the bowl. Note: This is a very important step!! Make sure that your stir vigorously for 1 full minute or a bit more. I suggest timing yourself. By doing this step you will end up with a batter that’s rich, thick, satiny smooth, and glossy, and the brownies as a result will be rich and fudge-like.gluten-free brownie batter whisked together

Using a spatula, gently fold in your chocolate chips.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan using a spatula to make it even. You can even top it with some coarse sea salt. Don't go too crazy on the sea salt, I topped a batch with a bit too much and they were just a tad salty!

Bake until the center feels almost set and the edges are a bit firm, about 30-35 minutes. Do not over bake. In my oven, my brownies are done around 32-33 minutes.

Note: Ovens vary in temperature and baking times, so get to know your oven and know how long it takes to bake things. If your oven tends to cook things faster, then check it before 30 minutes etc.

These are truly more of a fudge-like brownie than cake-like one. The brownies will firm up as they sit and cool.

Let the brownies cool completely in the pan (about an hour or so) before lifting the parchment paper and the block of brownies out of the pan.

Storage: Wrap the brownies up tightly in the parchment paper and then with a layer of tin foil, or store them in a sealed container. It’s best to cut the brownies right before serving them, as they stay fresher that way.

Reader Interactions

Comments

Hi Angi! I’m not sure it would work, as all purpose flour contains gluten, which is a protein that provides the structure that holds baked goods together. The arrowroot flour is a natural thicker, so that’s why it works as a substitute in this recipe. You might need to add more eggs (not sure how many?) if using almond or coconut flour, as they are drier and more absorbent than normal flours. Gluten-free baking is tricky, and not something I specialize in. I have some naturally gluten-free baked goods on the blog, but this was the first experiment where I switched out the flour for a thickener. If you’re inclined, give this a try, and let me know how they turn out for you! xoxo, Jacquelyn

These were seriously the best brownies ever. Better than any “normal” brownies I’ve had. They were awesome! Anything you could think of to substitute the butter with? I was hoping to try and make them dairy-free too.

Hi Alexa! You can try using unrefined coconut oil? Just measure it out cold and melt it along with the chocolate like I do with the butter. Let me know if you give it a try and how they come out! I’ve been wanting to try it myself! 🙂

Wow! These are the “BEST” gluten-free brownies! I’ve tried many different recipes and this one is by far the best. The brownies are exactly as you said they would be, rich and fudgey, it was hard stopping at just one. My kids and hubby loved them and said that they tasted like they came for a bakery. Mine were finished at 32 minutes as well. Thanks for an amazing gluten-free recipe, and I can’t wait to try more from your blog. Cheers, Alice